


It's The Little Things That Count

by cathrheas



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Height Differences, Pining, Post-Time Skip, there is basically no plot. just Cute. that's all.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:41:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24870217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cathrheas/pseuds/cathrheas
Summary: In which Edelgard is very tall, which makes Byleth...pretty short.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 5
Kudos: 82





	It's The Little Things That Count

**Author's Note:**

> [Kink meme fill.](https://3houseskinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/476.html?thread=719068#cmt719068)  
>    
> Feel free to check out [my Twitter](https://twitter.com/cathrheas)!

The joy of reuniting with the Professor made it difficult for Edelgard to notice the difference at first, but after the euphoria had worn off, Edelgard’s attention turned to the Professor’s appearance. Something had changed, certainly, but Edelgard couldn’t name it at first. Being stumped by something as small as that—especially when it came to the Professor, who she had laid eyes on more than she cared to admit—frustrated her. 

There was something in her eyes, perhaps, in the way she looked at Edelgard, that had changed. That might have been wishful thinking, though, so Edelgard dismissed it. Was it her posture? Her back seemed a little straighter, maybe, but she still swung her sword the same way.

Byleth had been the one to point it out. They had just finished a war council, and Byleth approached Edelgard to discuss further, as she usually did. However, her next remark wasn’t about the war.

“You’ve gotten a lot taller,” she said.

“So I have,” Edelgard responded. Her own growth hadn’t escaped her, especially when she was coming so close to Hubert. It was an unexpected growth spurt, but not unwelcome. She hadn’t gotten used to looking down on people that she used to look up at, though, and...

Oh. Byleth suddenly looked very, very small.

“That was all I wanted to say,” Byleth responded, with a small smile. Maybe that was what Edelgard had been seeing. Byleth had to  _ look up _ at her. Of course her back was straighter—it would have been a pain to look up at Edelgard had she been slouching. “I’ve been thinking about it. Is it a strange thing to point out?”

“Well, no. Not exactly. It...it has been five years, hasn’t it? You must be a little surprised by how things have changed.” Edelgard was purposefully vague. She had to shy away from the discussion about their height difference; thinking about it too much made her lose her focus.

* * *

“Ah, Edelgard? Hubert wanted you to have a look at this.”

Edelgard had been poring over books in the monastery’s library. She didn’t have time to read much, but she did when she could. She had to keep her mind sharp.

Of course, that was harder to do when the Professor was around to distract her.

“What is it?” Edelgard shelved a book that she had been thumbing through, walking over to where Byleth was sitting. Once she got close enough, she stopped in her tracks.

_ It’s even worse when she’s sitting... _

“It’s a letter from a general in the Alliance.” Byleth untucked it from one of her coat pockets, handing it to Edelgard. Edelgard tried her hardest not to look down as she did, but Byleth was looking up at her again, and...Edelgard didn’t really want to look away.

Had the library’s chairs always been too big for her? It looked like it was swallowing her up. Again, her eyes were clearly pointed upward. Edelgard had never noticed how pretty Byleth’s face was, before then. How pink her lips were, even in a perpetual pout. The smooth skin of her face. Edelgard couldn’t help noticing her hands, too, the comparably small fingers that held a folded parchment between them.

“Um...Edelgard?”

Edelgard stood up a little straighter—ugh, but that only made Byleth look smaller. “My apologies,” Edelgard murmured, then took the letter.

“No worries. Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes. It’s been a long day,” Edelgard lied. There wasn’t a day long enough to make her feel as flustered as Byleth was making her. “I think I’ll take this back to my office. Thank you, Professor.”

“Alright. Have a good evening, then. Get some rest, okay?”

Edelgard was afraid to get rest, really. If she slept too soundly, she’d definitely dream about something, and that something was far too likely to be Byleth.

* * *

As it turned out, Edelgard wasn’t the one who needed rest.

The Professor, despite her newfound powers, was still human. Edelgard might have expected too much of her at times, but Byleth always insisted she could handle it, and Edelgard never doubted her.

Until she was slumped over Edelgard’s desk, fast asleep.

Of course, Edelgard didn’t see this as a sign of weakness in Byleth. All things considered, Byleth was an amazing person. She bonded with her students nearly at first glance, only to undergo a life-changing transformation just before going missing—and then she came back to a warring continent. And yet, she showed no fear, becoming the star of the Black Eagles Strike Force with the same fire she’d had five years before.

_ I suppose she’s earned a nap, _ Edelgard thought. Even if she had felt like Byleth was slacking, or like something needed to be done, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to bring herself to wake Byleth up. Again, Edelgard was drawn to her face. That time, though, it was relaxed. Edelgard sometimes wondered if her own face carried a residual frown, even as she slept, but Byleth showed no signs of that.

Still, the desk couldn’t have been comfortable. Byleth must have fallen asleep on accident, a quill still loosely held between her fingers. It was late, anyway...she’d be better off in her bed.

_ Carry her there, _ Edelgard thought, before she could stop herself.  _ You’ve done it before. _

Oh, how hard Edelgard had tried to push the thought out of her mind. Sure, she’d done it before, and she had done it with ease, but that was...before things had changed.

_ Nothing has changed! You’re a little taller, sure, but what does it matter? You can’t just leave her there. _

Edelgard sighed through her nose. She’d at least try and wake Byleth up... “Professor,” she called.

Byleth did not stir.

“Professor?”

Nope.

“Ah, well...at least it’s not terribly far,” Edelgard reasoned. She wasn’t worried about carrying Byleth that far because of the weight, since Byleth was rather light, but she  _ was _ worried about waking Byleth up. Not to mention the fact that Edelgard’s cheeks would only get redder as they went.

She decided to work quickly, removing the quill from Byleth’s fingers and laying it on her desk. Then, after a careful maneuvering of her arms to steer clear of anywhere she deemed inappropriate, Edelgard lifted Byleth from the chair in a bridal carry. Byleth’s head lolled back, and Edelgard readjusted to keep her upright.

Edelgard was baffled. Was Byleth...really that small? Or was Edelgard just that big? Either way, Edelgard stared down at Byleth for a few dumbstruck seconds before taking a few steps out of the room. Hubert was definitely lurking somewhere nearby; Edelgard tried to call upon her luck, hoping that he wouldn’t see them.

It was hard to watch where she was going when Byleth was so nice to look at. Every time she looked down, Byleth was still wearing that same serene expression, her lips falling apart.  _ Stop looking, _ Edelgard would think, scolding herself. Then, seconds later, she’d look again.

The walk to Byleth’s room had never felt so short. Edelgard wouldn’t say she was disappointed, but...well, she would have liked the moment to last a bit longer. As much as the silly fantasy made her smile, it would have been foolish to wander around just to look at Byleth’s face some more. Edelgard awkwardly found the handle of Byleth’s door, pushing it open.

“Here we are, Professor,” Edelgard said, softly. Byleth had left her bed unmade. Edelgard laid her atop the sheets, pulling her boots and coat off. Edelgard considered undressing her further, just for comfort, but...well, the Professor was already rather scantily dressed. Removing anything else would just be—

“Edelgard?”

Edelgard gasped at the sound of her name, spoken from a sleepy voice. Byleth was looking up at her, her eyes narrowed in tired confusion. Could Edelgard slip out without saying a word and convince her it was a dream...? No. Probably not. “Yes. It’s me.”

“Mmph...I’m sorry. I fell asleep, didn’t I? That’s unlike me.”

“That’s fine. If you needed the rest, you needed the rest. Staying awake and doing sloppy work out of exhaustion does nobody favors.”

“Still,” Byleth said. She looked around her room with some recognition. “Oh. You...carried me here?”

“Y-yes, I did. I apologize if I shouldn’t have, I just...” How could Edelgard explain it away? If anybody else had carried the Professor as she slept, Edelgard might have burst a blood vessel. What gave her the right?

“No, you’re fine. Really, thank you.” Byleth sat up, grabbing at the edge of her blankets. “Really, I’m sorry for the burden.”

“It was no burden.” Edelgard parted her lips to continue, but she couldn’t force the words out of her mouth for a few, long seconds. “I...I enjoyed doing you a favor. Besides, you’re rather small, compared to me, Professor. It was a simple task.”

Byleth laughed. “I don’t think I’m all that tiny. You’re just very...you’ve grown a lot.”

“Perhaps that’s for the better. After all, it made returning you to your room rather easy.”

“I wouldn’t have you any other way, then.”  _ Have...me? She likes me this way? _ Edelgard might have been reading into it. No, she was definitely reading into it, she thought. Then, Byleth took her hand, squeezing fondly. “Thank you, Edelgard. I’ll get some more rest, then.”

Edelgard cleared her throat, tried to put herself back together. But she couldn’t stop thinking about the Professor’s words, and the little smile on her face as she said them. “Alright, Professor. Good night.”

There was a little pause, as if neither wanted to let go of the other’s hand—then, Edelgard realized that it was she who was supposed to be leaving. She whispered another farewell to fill the silence before stepping out of Byleth’s room, closing the door as softly as she could.

Edelgard sighed, gently, so that Byleth couldn’t hear her through the door. She’d definitely said something strange. Did Byleth find it weird that she pointed out their height difference so readily? Or that Edelgard enjoyed carrying her back to her room? She must not have been. Edelgard had never felt insecure about her height, but Byleth’s words,  _ I wouldn’t have you any other way, _ made Edelgard’s heart swell. Just thinking about it, thinking about the Professor’s hand on hers, made a smile come over her face.

_ I can’t tell if this feeling is a blessing or a curse... _

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to everyone who has seen my twitter and knows the backstory behind this. sorry it took me *checks calendar* 4 months to do this. never say i dont keep my promises though


End file.
